Hairpin



R. L. GRAYH HAIRPIN= APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6,1920.

1,382,353. Patented June 23, 1921,

/ 76 R0! ill/L11. Gray UNITED S'FATES Parent FFIQE.

HAIRIIN.

Application filed. March 8, 1326.

To all 1072 am it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROLLIN .lJ. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eau Claire, in the county of Eau Claire and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Hairpins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hairpins and has as one of its objectsto provide a hairpin which may be readily 1nserted in the hair and readily removed therefrom and which when in place will securely grip the hair encompassed thereby and thus be securely retained in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hairpin so constructed that as the same is inserted in the hair it will be automatically spread so as to gather and receive a relatively large lock of the hair and which when finally positioned will automatically close so as to grip and tightly confine the hair engaged thereby.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hairpin having portions which normally close the throat of the pin and to so form the terminals of the legs of the pm as to cause automatic spreading or separation of these portions when the pin is inserted into the hair and thus enable the lock of hair engaged by the pin to readily enter the said throat.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a hair pin formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary perspective view of the end portions of the pin.

The hairpin embodying the present invention is, as in the case of the ordinary forms of hairpins now in use, to be formed from a single strand of resilient wire wlnch 1S bent at a point midway between its ends to provide the legs of the pin which are indicated by the numeral 1, and a connecting or bight portion which is indicated by the numeral 2 and which extends between the upper ends of the said legs. From the con necting portion 2, the legs 1 extend downwardly in parallel relation as indicated by the numeral 3 and below their portions 3 they are bent to extend diagonally inwardly toward each other as at 4: and then formed with bends 5 providing diverging jaw portions 6. At the lower ends of the portions Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

Serial No. 383,715.

portions 15. The portions 13 and 15 of the two legs constitute means for closing the throat of the pin which throat is defined by the latter portions, the resiliency of the pin serving to normally yieldably hold the legs 3 1n such position that the bends 14: will overlap to about the extent illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. In order that the terminals of the diverging portions 15 may not cause injury to the scalp in applying the pin, these terminals which are indicated by the numeral 16, are bent to extend substantially in alinement with the portions 3 and 12. As above pointed out the pin embodying the invention is and while the throat of the pin is closed by the overlapping bends 14: of the closing portions comprising the parts 13 and 15, it will be readily understood that when the pin is inserted in the hair, the legs of the pin will be spread apart against their resiliency by the passage of the hair between the portions 15 and that these portions, because. of their diverging relation, will serve to gather a considerable quantity of the hair in applying the pin as well as providing means for automatically spreading the legs and opening the throat of the pin in the act of applying the same. After the pin has been inserted in the hair, the resiliency of the legs will serve to draw the same together so that they will tend to as sume the normal position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 in which position the bends 14 will again be in overlapped relation closing the throat of the pin and thereby preventing ficcidental separation of the pin from the air.

Referring to Fig. .1 it will be observed that the space between the bends 5 is slightly greater than the space between the bends 8 and that, slightly greater than the space between the bends 11, the legs of the pin being in their normally resilient in turn, this latter space is V substantially the same normal positions. However, when the pin is inserted in the hair and the legs are spread, these bends will be further separated but in such relatively increasing degree in the order in which they are referred to above that all of these spaces will be of Width while the pin is being inserted and therefore the bends Will more read'ly permit the passage ofthe hair into the pin, and when the legs of? the pin are relieved of tension and are permitted to spring together through their resiliency, the loclr or looks of hair encompassed by the pin will be so engaged and confined by the several bends 5, 8 and 11 as to further insure against accidental disenof the pin.

ROLLIN L. GRAY. [n 3.1 

